Gasket holding means



Feb. 28, 1933.

L. D. WOODRUFF GASKET HOLDING MEANS Filed Feb. 21, 1929 @mmmmmff Jy Patented Feh. 28, 1933 UNITED STATES d PATENT ol-Flcak LEoNInAs D. WoonRnFF, or CHICAGO,v ILLINOIS, AssIe-Noa `'ro 'HARRIS `TRUs'rj .a SAVINGS BANK, TRUSTEE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATIONQoIf1 ILLINOIS GASKET IIOLDI'NG MEANS Y Application filed February 21, 1929. Serial No. 341,621.

The present invention relates to gasket holding meansfor a swivel pipe joint.

More particularly the present'invention'relates to means forpreventing undesirable rotation of the gasket within its 4holding member when Said gasket is used to seal members having rotation relative to one another. The present invention is particularly useful 1n and will be described with reference to Vholding means for holding gaskets used in steam line connectors for railway tra-ins, though it will be clear as the description proceeds that the invention has a much broader application.

In certain steam line connectors for railway trains hose castings are connected up through sleeves rotatable -relativeto said hose castings for the purpose of connecting together the steam lines of adjacent carsy of a train or the locomotive of. a train and an adjacent car. `.The joints between the hose castings and the cooperating sleeveshave been sealed by means of gaskets. According to prior practice the gaskets have had-a destructive rotative action relative to the members in which they were housed, resulting-in the peripheral wearing away of said gaskets, whereby the life thereof has been relatively short.

An object of the present invention is to provide holding means for a gasket which will result in lengthening the life of said gasket.

A further object yis to provide holding means for a gasket, which holding means is simple, which is well adapted to the needs of commercial service, and which will confine the wearing action of the gasket to the seat,

which is well adapted to bear such action.

A further object is to provide holding means for a gasket adaptable for steam line connections, which isreadily applicable to such connections as now appear in service, and which will cut down the wear to which gaskets have heretofore been subjected in service. Y

A further object is to provide a combined gasket holding means and spring'seat plate whereby, while decreasing the number of parts which have heretofore been used in ketl is improved.

steam line connections the Further objects will appear as the description proceeds.` ,z

Referring to the drawing- 1 Figure l is a View inside elevationlofa few of the elements' making up a ltrain line connection; v Y.

Figure 2 1s a sectional View,

on an enlarged scale,

showing a portion of a hose casting,

Figure 3 is a View on an enlarged scale lof part of the structure shown in Figure 2;

Figure is a plan view of a holding memactionof the gasi the coupling sleeve cooperating with vone eX- 7"" ber embodying the principles of the present V` invention;

Figure 5 isa side View of the structure shownV in Figure 4, Figure 5 being takenin the direction of the arrow in Figuret; and

Figure 6 is a View similarto Figure 3, on

a reduced scale, andshowing a modification of the present invention. v Y

The illustrative structure includes the intermediate swinging hose casting l0, whose ends communicate with passages in connecting members forming part of a train line for carrying steam, air, or other fluid. The upper extremity of the hosecasting 10 is shown' In cooperation with the coupling sleeve l1 and the lower extremity of said hose casting 10 is shown in cooperation with` the coupling sleeve l2. The hose castingV l0 is connected to the coupling sleeves ll and 4l2 through swivel connections, which` will be referred to more in detail presently. Preferably, the

coupling sleeves l1 and l2 are connected together through the telescoping member 13, pivotally connected at its upper end tothe .coupling sleeve l1 and at its lower end to the coupling sleeve 12. vAccording to a construction shown, described and claimed in my copending application Serial -N o. 268,495, filed March 21, 1928, the telescoping member 13 is variable `in length, beingV controlled by a thereof. flock, cooperating with other parts to secure `the conduit members 10 and 11 in their Referring to Figure 2, it will be noted that the illustrated extremity of the hose casting- 10 is provided with a-pair of annular walls 121 and 15, which provide between them an annular socket 16. rlhe cooperating coupling sleeve 11 is provided with a corresponding pair of annular walls 17 and 18, which provide the annular socket 19. rlhe walls 111 and 18 have corresponding dimensions, but the annular wall 15 of the hose casting 10 is shown as disposed within the socket 19 of the coupling sleeve 11.v yDisposed within and contacting withthe wall 15 of the `hose casting 1() is the gasket or packing material 20. Said gasket 2O hastne seat 21 within the socket 19 of the coupling sleeve 11, the nipple portion of said member 11 being formed with an external beve-led shoulder providing said seat. In the illustratedembodiment of the vpresent invention said. seat 21 is represented as being conical, though it will be understood that any other contour of seat may be chosen if preferred. The gasket 2O is held against its seat, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, by means of a combined holding member and resilient gasket seating plate, indicated as a whole by the numeral22. Disposed between the wall 17 of the coupling sleeve 11 and the wall 15 of the hose casting 1() is a bushing 28.

rlhe coupling sleeve 11 is provided at its upper extremity with the annular wall 241, which may be externally screwthreaded.

Disposed inwardly of the wall 211 is the seat 40 25, which is adapted to carryr a combined holding member and resilient gasket seating plate 22 for cooperation with a gasket or packing material 20, which gasket 20 is disposed within and is adapted to tightly engage said wall21l. The last mentioned gasket 2O cooperates with a corresponding surface, indicated by the numeral 26, forming part of y the nipple 27, which nippleis externally 'screw-threaded for connection in the .train 0 line.

The nipple 27 is rotatably held in cooperation with the gasket 20 by means of the threaded sleeve 28, said sleeve 28 being provided with the annular shoulder 29, Vwhich through the medium of a bushing 8O takes the end thrust between said nipple 27 and the coupling sleeve 11.

The connections at the lower end of the hose casting v10 vwill be clear from the descripf tion of the connections at the upper end The numeral 81 indicates a wedgeswivel-,jointed relationship, as shown, described and claimed in my copending applicaferential incisions extending from the inner extremities of said radial notches fora short distance, providing spring tongues 82-82- According Vto Figure 4l, four ofsaid spring tongues 82--82 are provided, all sprung from v the sa'meside of the member l22. The member 22 is illustrated 'as beine' conical in its shape, though it may .take other forms if preferred. It will be noted that the extremities of the cantilever spring tongues 82-82 are provided at their extremities with the down struck ends88. Said member 22, on the .opposite side from the tongues 82-82, is provided'withthe upstanding prong 84. As will be clear from an inspection of Figures 8 and 5 each of the ends 88-88 is adapted to seat itselfwithin a corresponding recess 85 in the hose casting 10. rlhe prong 84 is adapted to dig into the material of the gasketp20. rllie net effect of the disposal of the end portions 88 within the notches 85 and the digging of the prong 84 into the gasket 2O is to prevent relative rotation between said gasket 20 and themember which encloses it; that is to say,

referring to the lower gasket 20 in'Figure 2,

relative rotationis prevented between said asket 20 and the hose casting 10 and refer- .l g e .a aV

ring to the upper gasket 20 in Figure 2, relative rotation is prevented between said-gasket .20 andthe coupling sleeve 11. The net result isthat Vas rotation or swivelling action'occurs .between the hose casting 10 and the coupling sleeve 11, practically the sole wearing action vuponthe gasket 2() will occur betweenthe seat 21 and said gasket 20. vVfeariiig action upon the periphery of the gasket 20 will be Vprevented andthelife of the gasket will be greatly prolonged over prior practice. Similarly, when rotation or swivelling actionoccurs between the nipple27 and the coupling sleeve 11, practically the entire wearing action upon the gasket 2O will occur at the regioiiv where said gasket engages the seat 26, wearing actionA upon 'the periphery of., said gasket being prevented by reason of the fact that relative rotation between said gasket' and its enclosingfwall 24 is prevented.

`Referring nowto the modification shown iniFigure 6, the'numeral 86 indicates a gasket seating plate and the numeral 87 indicates a spring cooperatingkwith said plate 86 and a gasket 20. Said springl 87 is a coil spring and vhas one extremity struck out, "as indicated by the numeral 88, seated within a correspondtremity 88 of the spring 87 is disposed withing recess-'in the member which, encloses said i gasket 2Q. ASaid-recess for receiving the exrotation relative to the hose casting 10, will effectually prevent rotation of the gasket 2O relative to said hose castingr 10, whereby wearing action upon the periphery of said casting 2O will be effectually prevented.

The present invention provides the advantage that the gasket is resiliently held to its seat, and the further advantage that peripheral Wearing action between the gasket and the member within which it is located is prevented. According to the prefered ,embodi-V ment shown 1n Figures 1 to 5 lnclusive, thespring means, the gasket seating plate, and the means for preventing the rotation referred to are embodied in a unitary member.

Though certain embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, many modifications will occur to those skilled in the art. It is intended to cover all such modifications that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Notice is given that the train-pipe connector and joints thereof herein disclosed are subjects-matter claimed in my said application Serial N o.- 238,141, and that a connector having a spring device represented by the telescopic rod 13 for yieldingly supporting or upholding the lower end ofthe connector is subject-matter claimed in my said application, Ser. N o. 263,495.

1. In combination, two cooperating conduit members capable of relative rotation, an annular gasket for preventing leakage between said members, said gasket being within and having engagement peripherallyv with one of said members, and spring means reacting between said one member and said gasket for preventing relative rotation between said one member and said gasket.

2. In combination, a holding member having an annular wall, a gasket within said annular wall and engaging 'peripherally therewith, and a spring member between the rear face of said gasket and said holding member, said spring member pressing said gasket forwardly and having portions cooperating with said holding member and said gasket member to prevent relative rotation therebetween.

3. In combination, a supporting member including an annular wall, a gasket disposed within said wall, and a spring between the rear face of said supporting member and said Y gasket, said spring pressing said gasket forwardly and having portions engaging said supporting member and said asket for preventing relative rotation there tween.

4. In combination, a pair of members adapted to have rotation relative to one another, one of said members including an annular wall, a gasket within said wall, the other of said members having a surface engaging one side ofsaid gasket, and a spring` member disposed between said one member and the other side of said gasket, said springv member being provided with means for preventing relative rotation between said one member'and said gasket. i

'5. InV combination, a pair of members` adapted to have rotation relative to'one another, one of said members including an annular wall, a gasket .within said wall, the other of said members having a surface engaging one side of said gasket, and a spring member disposed between said one member and the other side of said gasket, said spring member being provided with means for preventing relative rotationbetween said one member and said gasket, said spring member v including a gasket seating plate providing a bearing surface for said gasket.

6. In combination, a pair of members adapted to have rotation relative to one another, one of said members including an annular wall, a gasket within said annular wall,

the other of said members having rotary bearing relationship with one side of said gasket, and a combined resilient gasket seating plate and gasket holding member engaging the other side of said gasket, said combined spring plate and holding member being provided with means for preventing rotation between said gasket and said one member. i Y

7. In combination, a pair of members adaptedv to have rotation relative to each other, a gasket for seating said members relative to one another, one of said members having any annular wall adapted to receive the periphery of said gasket, the other of said members seating upon one side of said gasket, and a resilient plate having a broad bearing surface upon the other side of said gasket, said resilient plate having a portion engaging said gasket and a portion engaging said one member whereby to prevent relative rotation between said gasket and said annular wall' 1 Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 18th day of February, 1929.

LEONIDAS D. WOODRUFF. 

